Chapter 5: Vs Salamance
Meteor Falls, Hoenn
"Hurry up!" a voice called from the top of the mountainous cliffs that lead to the meteor falls.
"Huff, Puff. I'm trying, I'm trying!" another voice came from the foot of the cliffs, "Geez! These cliffs are impossible! I give up! Ruru come give me a hand!"
There was a flash of light and all of a sudden a boy appeared from the cliffside. He wore a white hat with green trimmings, like a beanie. His clothes were black, with red accents which resembled a pokeball. A Kirlia appeared from behind him, as it gently placed its trainer on the clifftop. "Thanks Ruru." The boy patted Kirlia on its head.
"That took you a while." The voice from before belonged to girl around the same age as that boy. She wore a green bandana, a red sleeveless shirt and black shorts. She was tapping her foot on the ground impatiently as she watched the boy brush the dirt off his shirt.
"Eww, mountain dirt." The boy stuck out his tongue in disgust.
"C'mon Ruby, you're a guy for goodness sake!" The girl grabbed him by his shirt and dragged him across the ground, picking up more dirt along the way.
"Geroff Sapphire!" Ruby struggled against the girl who adamantly refused to let him go. He grabbed her hands and tugged hard. She finally relinquished her grip and Ruby fell to the floor with a thud.
"Now I really got to get a change of clothes." Ruby turned and looked the back of his shirt, and headed for a outcrop of rock, while rummaging through his sling bag, taking out a change of clothes.
"When will you ever learn?" Sapphire sighed, and sat down on the ground while Ruby changed, "Hurry up! We got to grab that sand and meet up with Professor Cozmo in Fallabor before our seniors get here!"
"Why do we have to, anyway?" Ruby asked, as he reappeared from behind the rocks, folding his shirt nicely and tucking it away into a plastic bag before placing it into his backpack.
"Because Dad said so, now come on!" Sapphire started scaling the cliffs, towards the Fallabor Town Entrance.
"Sheesh, can't we get Emerald to do it?" Ruby gave another sigh, leaving his arms limp beside him as he walked towards Sapphire, "Or at least let us take the Fiery Path."
"Stop complaining and climb!" Sapphire shouted from the top of the cliff, "You'd complain even if it were the Fiery Path. 'It's too hot!', or 'I'm sweating', or.." Sapphire imitated Ruby, fanning herself with her hand and tugging at her collar.
"Hey, I'm not like that! Ruru, if you would, please." Ruby turned to look at his Kirlia, who nodded and as it raised its arms, a purple sphere materializing around them, lifting them off the ground. Sapphire watched in disbelief at her partner and rival as he overtook her, and gently landed on the top of the cliff, in front of her.
He smiled at her from above, and reached out a hand. Blushing bright red, Sapphire brushed his hand aside, as she swung herself upwards and using the same momentum, landed with a thud beside him.
She smirked at him, as if mocking him for his lack of athletic abilities. He merely looked away and shrugged. Recalling his Kirlia into its pokeball, Ruby turned and entered a cave.
"Hey doofus, wrong cave!" Sapphire called out, as she turned and entered an identical looking cave entrance. Making a sharp about turn, Ruby awkwardly followed Sapphire into the correct cave entrance.
"Woah..." Ruby cried out in astonishment. It was his first time in the meteor falls. He had only heard stories about the place from Professor Cozmo. immediately his contest spirit took over. Releasing Nana, his mightyena, and nimbly setting up his camera and tripod, he started filming.
"Hold this, will you?" he instructed Sapphire, who found herself holding onto his reflector with no time to react.
"Regardless of the effects of time, the coolness that this body encompasses never changes. Carrying with her the tough Intimidate, this is the Pokémon Mightyena—Nana!" He introduced his Pokemon, who expertly strutted across the cave as though in front of her sat a crowd of cheering audience.
Regaining her senses from Ruby's sudden antics, she threw the reflector on the ground. "This isn't the time for this!" She chided, tugging Ruby by the ear.
"Ahh, my equipment!" Ruby whined, as he was, for the second time that day, dragged across the cave floor. Shaking Sapphire aside, he quickly gathered his belongings and grudgingly trudged after ththeirs, grumbling about how it was the perfect opportunity to shoot Nana's promotional video.
After an hour of climbing waterfalls and precarious cliffs, the duo finally reached their destination: an inner cave, set into the deepest recesses of the Meteor Falls. There was a bright light emitting from the cave, and Ruby suddenly remembered what Professor Cozmo advised them. He recalled Nana, and two children stepped through the entrance.
"Woah."
The entire cave was bathed in bright light, as both Ruby and Sapphire rubbed their eyes in unison, trying to get accustomed to the light.
"Who's there?" came a voice from the end of the corridor.
"Ruby, there's people here!" Sapphire gasped.
"Yeah, I can hear them too." Ruby fished around his bag for his glasses, quickly put them on.
Squinting through the light, Ruby caught a glimpse of the two strangers, before they vanished. The strangers wore a uniform he had never seen before. It somehow resembled a knight's armor, Ruby surmised.
"what are you doing in my cave?" Came a voice from behind them. Ruby turned around and saw a teenage boy, running his hands through his hair. It was accented with two red streaks, and he donned a samurai's outfit, a darker blue but it seemed to suit his hair. he stood in the doorway of the cave, blocking their exit.
"Huh? Who're you?" Sapphire pointed at the boy.
"Who am I? How audacious! I am Salamance, the master of this cave, and you are trespassing!" The boy drew his sword, and lunged at Sapphire.
"Come on, you expect me to believe that? Salamance is a Pokemon!" Sapphire quickly drew a pokeball from her pouch, and called out her Blaziken.
"Wait, didn't Professor Cozmo tell us not to..." Ruby couldn't finish his sentence. As soon as Toro the Blaziken appeared from its pokeball, a yellow light enveloped it. "Too late." Ruby placed his face in his palm.
"Toro what's wrong?" Sapphire ran towards her partner. She reached out a hand, and another emerged from the light, grabbing her hand and pulling her forward. As she was being pulled, she felt the slash of a sword by her ear. Her strength left her as she slumped to the ground, against a girl who looked much older than them, wearing a red Qipao which flared yellow at the ends. She flicked her cream colored hair and regarded her trainer with a curt bow.
"Toro?" Sapphire asked in disbelief at the girl who propped her up against the cave wall. Toro smiled as she turned to face the Salamance.
"What happened?" Sapphire asked as Ruby Joined her.
"That's what Professor Cozmo was afraid of," Ruby helped her up, "this has been happening all over the world, and it's baffling all the professors and researchers."
"And why did you wait till now to tell me this?" Sapphire glared at Ruby, who was intently watching the match between Salamance and Toro.
"I wonder if..." Ruby's voice trailed off as he took an empty pokeball from his bag.
"Are you listening to me?" Sapphire hit him over the head. "Wait a minute," Sapphire stared at the pokeball, "you're not thinking of..."
Ruby didn't answer, but waited for Toro to deal the finishing blow. As soon as the Salamance collapsed, he threw the pokeball. The familiar red light appeared as the Gijinka Salamce was sucked into the pokeball, which teetered for a bit before the red light on its release button disappeared.
"Holy snap, it actually worked.." Sapphire went up and picked up the pokeball. As soon as she touched the pokeball, it shattered and released the Salamance inside. "Woah" she jumped back. The Salamance collapsed in exhaustion as Ruby went up to it, and propped it up.
"What do you think you're doing?" Sapphire called after Ruby, who started carrying the boy out of the cave.
"He's hurt, I have to get him to a Pokemon centre! Or rather, a hospital!" Ruby called out, while still carrying the Salamance.
"I'll never understand that idiot." Sapphire turned to Toro, who stood there, smiling at her trainer. Sapphire shook her head, still unable to wrap her head around the day's events. A mysterious new team, Toro morphing into a human, and Ruby suddenly caring for a strange new Pokemon.
Remembering her mission, she took the vial she was given and scraped a few grains of sand off the walls of the cave. She took one last glance at the cave before leaving it behind, it's glow fading to darkness, it's source of power gone.
TBC